Electric extension lamp and means for storing its wire or cord



March 7, 1967 E. R. CONRADI 3,308,289

ELECTRIC EXTENSION LAMP AND MEANS FOR STORING ITS WIRE OR CORD Filed Nov. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. f'AR L E Con/Ran:

meal 7e March 7, 1967 E. R. CONRADI 3,308,289

ELECTRIC EXTENSION LAMP AND MEANS FOR STORING ITS WIRE OR CORD Filed Nov. 13, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JTQE.

INVENTOR.

EA RL R. CONRAD], BY

Actor/ e United States Patent 3,308,289 ELECTRIC EXTENSION LAMP AND MEANS FOR STORING ITS WIRE 0R CORD Earl R. Conradi, 2507 Forthmann Place, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211 Filed Nov. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 410,865 4 Claims. (Cl. 24054) This invention relates to improvements in an electric extension lamp and means for storing its wire or cord.

The electric extension lamp forming the basis of the present invention is well-known in that use is made of a handle member from one end of which extends the electric lamp or bulb disposed in front of a reflector which in turn carries a guard for the lamp. The handle has extending from its other end the flexible wire, wires or cord which through a separable connection may be connected with a source of electricity. In the past it was customary to wrap the wire around the handle when the lamp was not in use and which wire wrap was usually carelessly done wherefore it did not remain in its wrapped condition but was always disengaging itself from the lamp. Also in the past when the lamp was used at a distance from the electric outlet the entire wire was removed from the lamp and allowed to dangle and get in the way.

connection with such an extension lamp, of means on which the said extending wire could be properly arranged and then locked in such position.

Another object of this invention is the provision of removable means, that is, means that can be obtained independently of the extension lamp and attached thereto, for effecting the proper storage of the flexible wire of said lamp and the securing thereof in proper operative positions, whether the lamp is being stored, used at a point at the outer end of the flexible wire, or used at a point adjacent the inner end of the flexible wire or at a point intermediate the outer and inner ends of the flexible wire.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means for accomplishing the foregoing objects and in which the said means for storing the flexible wire are readily attached to and just as readily separated from the lamp and requiring merely a spring for securing the said flexible wire storage means in place.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention should be readily apparent by reference to the following specification considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and it is to be understood that any modifications may be made in the exact structural details there shown and described, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an extension lamp having attached thereto the wire storing means.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the lamp, as shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 on FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fastening or securing clip or the like for locking the wire in position and forming a detail of the invention.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are respectively a top plan view, side elevational view and end elevational view of one of the wire storing brackets or mechanisms which forms a detail of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the device of the present invention, similar to FIG. 1 but to a smaller scale, illustrating a second use of the mechanism of this inventron.

An object of the present invention is the provision, in v "ice FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but showing a third use of the mechanism of the present invention.

Throughout the several views of the drawings, aforesaid, similar reference characters are employed to denote the same or similar parts.

As shown in the drawings and as heretofore known and used an extension lamp comprises a handle member 10 of a length and diameter suitable for grasping in an adult hand. The handle 10 upwardly of the grasping portion thereof is provided with an enlarged portion 11 in which is disposed an on and off switch 12, as well as, means including elongated apertures 13, or female portion of a separable plug, through which other electrical applicances or cords may be connected therewith. Upwardly of the portion 11 the handle 10 includes a reduced portion 14 within which a socket 15 is formed to receive the threaded end of the usual electric lamp or bulb 1-6.

The socket 15 as is customary and well-known, and therefore not shown in the drawings, is provided with two metallic current conducting elements suitably insulated from one another and respectively connected with wires 17 and 18 which are in turn insulated from one another and pass through a rubber casing or the like 19. The said wires 17 and 18 along with their enclosing cover 19 form the above referred to extension wire, or flexible wire of cord, as hereinafter referred to, and may be of any length, generally between thirty-five and fifty feet. The said wires -17 and 18 at the outer end of the cover 19 are attached to prongs 20 and 21 suitably insulated from one another and carried by the body portion 22 of the usual separable male plug.

Secured to the reduced portion 14, exteriorly of the handle 10, is a slit ring or collar 23 having at the slit ends thereof similar ears 24 suitably apertured and axially aligned for a clamp screw .25. The slit ring or collar 23 has secured to or integrally extending therefrom a light reflector housing 26 and which, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is somewhat bowl shaped, that is vertically and horizontally arcuately formed, and into which a portion of the lamp 16 projects to have its rays suitably outwardly reflected, all is well-known and accepted.

Secured to the forward face of the reflector 26 is a wire guard 27 including vertical and horizontal wires 28 and 29 secured to one another, as by welding, at their points of crossing. The reflector 26 has the opposite ver tical edges thereof, see FIG. 2, rolled on itself to provide, respectively, hollow, elongated sleeves 30 and 31 at the side edges of the forward side of the reflector. The sleeve 31 has the end of vertical wire 28a, of the guard 27, disposed therein and which parts act as a hinge for the guard. The opposite side of the guard 27 has its vertical wire 28b formed to latch behind the sleeve 30 for thereby locking the guard in its normal position. In order to unlatch the guard the vertical Wire 2812, forming the latch member thereof, is provided with a finger piece 32 for ease in operation, and particularly, unlatching of the said guard 27.

The guard 27 has a further vertical wire thereof, for example the middle wire 280, extending upwardly of the guard and the reflector 26 and partially turned on itself to-provide a hanging hook 33 convenient in the use of the trouble or extension lamp.

The foregoing is a description of extension electric or trouble lamps as are well-known and as has been in use for a long period of time. As noted above the extension wire, or cord, which, as noted above, is of considerable length up to an even in excess of thirty-five feet and frequently gets in the way of the user of the extension lamp and becomes quite annoying. The disposition of this wire, or cord, even when the lamp is not in use, is a problem and is generally disposed of by merely wrapping the same around the handle from the bottom or lower end thereof to its upper end and also around the lamp guard and reflector in two or more layers. This arrangement is frequently annoying since there is no way to wrap the said wire or cord to present a neat job nor is there any way of holding the wire in this position wherefore, the said wire unwraps itself when the lamp is placed at rest and gets in the way of anything else in the near vicinity.

As noted above, the mechanism of the present invention solves this problem and has several side advantages which will presently be made clear.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, there is disclosed a storage member, indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 35, which in plan is somewhat Y-shaped including the stem 36 from the outer end of which project arms 37 and 38, which, as illustrated, are somewhat arched or arced with respect to one another.

In side elevation, the Y-sha-ped storage member 35 has its stem 36 shaped as an are or cradle 40 terminating at its outer end in a point 39, and the arms or yoke portions 37 and 38 as flat members lying, substantially, in a plane which is slightly oblique to the horizontal plane of the stern, as illustrated in FIG. 5, and with the outer ends of said yokes or arms 37 and 38 turned back on themselves to provide hooks 41 and 42.

Again, and as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the storage member 35 has its stem 36 not only arched or cradle shaped longitudinally thereof but is also arched transversely, as shown in FIG. 6, and indicated by the reference numeral 43. By this construction the said stem 36, hereinafter called storage arm or storage hook, and identified by the reference numeral 36-40, is quite rugged and will take considerable pressure even though formed or stamped from relatively light gauge material.

The storage hook or storage arm 36-40 is provided at the end thereof from which the arms 37 and 38 extend with slightly upwardly pressed pad, raised portion, 44 through which is formed a hole or aperture 45.

In practice use is made of the storage member 35 in pairs and are arranged in opposition to one another as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 8 and 9. The said members are respectively mounted at the upper and lower ends of the reflector 26 so that their storage hook or storage arm portions 36-40 rearward project from the lamp and have their cradle portions 40 extending in opposite directions. The said members 35 are mounted in position on the reflector 26 by having the hooks 41 and 42 at the outer ends of the yoke arms 37 and 38 engage with the forward edge of the said reflector 26.

The said yoke arms 37 and 38 are so bent as to engage the outer surface of the reflector, arcuately formed outer surface, as seen most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Any suitable or desirable means may be employed for securing the storage members 35 in operative positions, but, that shown in the drawings being considered the most suitable and adaptable. The means for securely mounting said storage members on the extension or trouble lamp reflector comprises merely a coil spring 46 having extending from its opposite ends attaching wires 47 and 48 and which, respectively, extend through the storage members apertures 45 and which are, respectively, hooked or otherwise secured to the pads 44 of the upper and lower storage members 35.

In practice it has been found that the storage members are yieldably retained on the lamp reflector 26 in such a Way that considerable force is necessary to remove the said storage members even though the attachment thereof is relatively simple, that is, through the hooks 41 and 42 at the outer ends of the yoke arms 37 and 38.

In practice, and when storing the trouble or extension lamp, the flexible wire or cord 17, 18 and 19 is wrapped on the storage member arms or stems 36, as illustrated in phantom lines in FIGS. 1 and 2, so that the said wire or cord is suitably disposed of with respect to the lamp.

In order to retain the flexible wire or cord, supra, in its stored position use is made of the fastening clip, indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 49, and which when in operative position is as illustrated in FIG. 3. The wire securing device or fastening clip 49 is formed of spring material and includes a base or body portion 50 of arcuate configuration conforming closely to the diameter of the flexible wire or cord cover or casing 19, and from which body portion 50 projects spring arms 51 and 52 each of which is similarly arcuately formed as indicated at 53 and 54 and which said arcs 53 and 54 being to substantially the same radius as the arc of the fastening member or clip body portion 50.

In practice the free ends 55 and 56, respectively, of the arms 51 and 52, are pushed over adjacent portions of the flexible wire or cord cover or casing 19 until the body portion 50 is home on the outermost turn and the portions 51 and 52 engaging the next turn, for clamping said adjacent portions to one another. When the trouble lamp is not in use and stored the said securing or fastening clip 49 is disposed substantially immediately adjacent the separable or male portion plug 22 for thereby holding the said plug in proper position with respect to the lamp but also holding the coils of the wrapped wire or cord 17, 18 and 19 against inadvertent displacement.

With the mechanism as hereinabove described the extension lamp may h'ave its flexible wire or cord 17, 18 and 19 partially removed from the storage bracket arms and the balance of the rolled or coiled wire or cord locked in position, as seen particularly in FIG. 8. In which instance the lamp may be hung through its guard hook 33 on a support 57 so that the same is operative some distance from the wall 58 having the female socket with which the male plug 22 is employed but without the annoyance of the dangling wire as was the situation prior hereto.

In FIG. 9 the parts are illustrated whereby an even closer couple is maintained between the lamp and wall.

It will be understood that any amount of the flexible wire or cord 19 may be removed from the storage bracket arms 36 while the remaining portion will be secured in operative position by the securing or fastening clip 49.

What is claimed is:

1. In an extension electric lamp of the class described comprising a handle, 'an electric bulb from the upper end of the handle, a flexible electric wire from said bulb through said handle and having an outer end beyond the lower end of the handle, and a reflector carried by said handle to be behind the bulb, the combination of storage arms removably secured to the upper and lower ends of the reflector, yieldable means for retaining said storage arm-s in operative position and on which storage arms is stored the wire beyond the lower end of the handle, and a securing generally U-shaped spring acting clip removably secured to and near the outer end of the wire for yieldably embracing the wire when on the storage arms and simultaneously removably, yieldably, embracing the portion of the wire adjacent thereto on the storage arms for securing the lower end of the wire against inadvertent removal from the said storage arms.

2. In an extension electric lamp of the class described comprising a handle, an electric bulb from the upper end of the handle, a flexible electric wire from said bulb through said handle and beyond the lower end of the handle, and a reflector carried by said handle behind the bulb, the combination of a pair of storage arms located respectively just inwardly of the upper and lower ends of the reflector back face, each storage arm being substantially Y-shaped in plan and therefore including a stem from one end of which extends angularly divergent armshooked to an end of the reflector back face, the stem of the storage arms rearwardly extending from the reflector back face and on which the wire beyond the lower end of the handle is Wrapped, and yieldable means securing said storage arms to the reflector back face.

3. In an extension electric lamp of the class described comprising a handle, an electric bulb from the upper end of the handle, a flexible electric wire from said bulb through said handle and beyond the lower end of the handle, and a reflector carried by said handle behind the bulb, the combination of a pair of storage arms located respectively just inwardly of the upper and lower ends of the reflector back face, each storage arm being substantially Y-shaped in plan and therefore including a stem from one end of which extends angularly divergent arms hooked to an end of the reflector back face, the stem of the storage arms rearwardly extending from the reflector back face and on which the wire beyond the lower end of the handle is wrapped, yieldable means securing said storage arms to the reflector back face, and means securing the wire on the storage arms against inadvertent removal.

4. In an extension electric lamp of the class described comprising a handle, an electric bulb from the upper end of the handle, a flexible electric wire from said bulb through said handle and beyond the lower end of the handle, and a reflector carried by said handle behind the bulb, the combination of a pair of storage arms located respectively just inwardly of the upper and lower ends of the reflector back face, each storage arm being substantially Y-shaped in plan and therefore including a stem from one end of which extends angularly divergent arms hooked :to an end of the reflector back face, the stern of the storage arms rearwardly extending from the reflector back face and on which the wire beyond the lower end of the handle is wrapped, yieldable means securing said storage arm-s to the reflector back face, and a securing clip near the outer end of the wire for embracing the same when on the storage arms and simultaneously embracing the portion of the wire adjacent thereto on the storage arms for securing the wire against inadvertent removal from the said storage arms.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,084,953 6/1937 Gibson 240--88 X 2,658,136 11/1953 Morgenstern 2408.18 3,026,409 3/1962 Deisch 24081 X 3,036,209 5/1962 Wasselle 240102 3,091,686 5/1963 Loughead 2408.18 3,244,873 4/ 1966 Leutheuser 2408.18 X

NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner.

F. L. BRAUN, Assistant Examiner. 

2. IN AN EXTENSION ELECTRIC LAMP OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING A HANDLE, AN ELECTRIC BULB FROM THE UPPER END OF THE HANDLE, A FLEXIBLE ELECTRIC WIRE FROM SAID BULB THROUGH SAID HANDLE AND BEYOND THE LOWER END OF THE HANDLE, AND A REFLECTOR CARRIED BY SAID HANDLE BEHIND THE BULB, THE COMBINATION OF A PAIR OF STORAGE ARMS LOCATED RESPECTIVELY JUST INWARDLY OF THE UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF THE REFLECTOR BACK FACE, EACH STORAGE ARM BEING SUBSTANTIALLY Y-SHAPED IN PLAN AND THEREFORE INCLUDING A STEM FROM ONE END OF WHICH EXTENDS ANGULARLY DIVERGENT ARMS HOOKED TO AN END OF THE REFLECTOR BACK FACE, THE STEM OF THE STORAGE ARMS REARWARDLY EXTENDING FROM THE REFLECTOR BACK FACE AND ON WHICH THE WIRE BEYOND THE LOWER END OF THE HANDLE IS WRAPPED, AND YIELDABLE MEANS SECURING SAID STORAGE ARMS TO THE REFLECTOR BACK FACE. 